QATAR AIRWAYS CONTINUES TO LEAD THE AVIATION RECOVERY ON A GLOBAL SCALE
(Posted 10th August 2020)
The airline will offer 56 weekly flights to eight U.S. gateways by mid-September, maintaining its position as the largest international carrier operating services to and from the U.S.
The national carrier of the State of Qatar will also increase frequencies to Los Angeles to daily from 12th of August and double daily to New York from 01st of September
Starting 16th of August 2020 the airline will operate two-weekly flights to Adelaide with connections to more than 35 destinations across Africa, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and South Asia
Resumption of Adelaide service will see Qatar Airways operate a total of 23 weekly passenger flights and two weekly freighter flights to Australia, supporting repatriation and Australian exporters
Qatar Airways – the only Gulf carrier that never stopped flying to the U.S. during the crisis in an effort to take over 160,000 stranded people home – has continued to work closely with the U.S. government and airports as the airline rebuilds its U.S. network. The national carrier of the State of Qatar is thrilled to build on its commitment to the U.S. market with the resumption of flights to two additional U.S. gateways, Houston (IAH) and Philadelphia (PHL) along with expanding frequencies to daily to Los Angeles (LAX) from 12th of August and double daily to New York (JFK) from 01st of September. This news, which will add three weekly flights to Houston from 02nd of September and four weekly flights to Philadelphia from 15th of September, will see the airline’s U.S. operations grow to eight gateways including Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington, D.C., strengthening its position as the leading international carrier operating services to and from the U.S.
Strong partnerships in place with American Airline and JetBlue, which currently empower Qatar Airways passengers to book onward travel with American Airline on more than 600 daily flights and with JetBlue on more than 70 daily flights, will amplify the reach of these flights even further. By mid-September 2020, travellers will gain access to 56 weekly flights in the airline’s U.S. network and will be able to book onward travel with American Airline to over 200 destinations on more than 850 daily flights, and with JetBlue to over 55 destinations on more than 150 daily flights.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways has remained committed to bringing people home safely since the onset of the pandemic, and our commitment to the U.S., a very important strategic market, has never wavered. We are proud of our repatriation efforts to-date, and we look forward to providing travellers access to even more flights to the U.S. with the resumption of flights to Houston and Philadelphia, two major cities. The addition of these flights brings us to eight U.S. destinations and maintains our position as the largest international carrier in the U.S., and we look forward to soon returning to all ten of our incredible U.S. gateways.”
Travellers can plan their travel to Qatar Airways’ eight U.S. destinations with peace of mind, as the carrier has extended its booking policies to offer passengers maximum flexibility and choice, ranging from unlimited date changes to the option of changing your destination as often as needed within 5,000 miles of the original destination. Fare difference fees will not apply for travel completed before 31st of December 2020. Full terms and conditions are available at www.qatarairways.com/RelyOnUs.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Mr. Akbar Al Baker then added: “We are excited to resume services to Adelaide, highlighting our ongoing commitment to the Australian market during this difficult period. With the largest global network in the region and the Best Airport in the Middle East offering seamless and efficient connectivity to destinations across the world, we have been the airline of choice for many Australian Embassies to help bring Australians home. Australian Government data (BITRE) showed during the peak of repatriation efforts, our airline helped take home almost ten times more passengers in and out Australia than our nearest competitors. We are proud to have been one of the few airlines to never stop services to Australia, even expanding our Australian operations during the crisis, to help repatriate over 170,000 Australians and international travellers with their loved ones and transporting hundreds of tonnes of cargo to maintain vital supply chains for Australian agriculture exporters. The resumption of Adelaide services and the recent launch of new flights to Brisbane demonstrate our long-term commitment to Australia and our guarantee to support Australian passengers and exporters with global connectivity during both good and bad times.”
The Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment and Senator for South Australia, The Hon Simon Birmingham, added his own voice when he said: “I am delighted to see the ongoing commitment of Qatar Airways to the Adelaide market. These flights will provide another freight route for South Australian exporters, enabling them to get their high-quality produce onto planes and into the Middle East and Europe. While international travel restrictions remain an important line of protection for Australia against COVID-19, the resumption of services will provide another avenue for repatriating Australians and eventually provide a path for international tourists into South Australia when our borders re-open.”
South Australia Premier, The Hon Steven Marshall MP also spoke up and said: “This is a great vote of confidence in South Australia, and a very positive first step in reinstating services for when our international borders open. Qatar Airways has been a growing brand flying into Adelaide for a number of years helping to service important markets to and from Europe, so it is terrific to see flights back in the air and see some early optimistic news from the sector, followed by the Adelaide Airport Managing Director, Mr. Mark Young, said: “We’re excited to welcome back Qatar Airways and we welcome their reaffirmed commitment to the Adelaide market. This will be the first regular international passenger service to the Middle East since March, and will open up important connections through to Europe and beyond for both essential travellers and South Australian freight exporters.”
In Eastern Africa has Qatar Airways resumed services to Kenya, recently returning to the capital city of Nairobi with two daily flights. The airline is also eyeing a return to Mombasa and has commenced operations back to Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar in Tanzania.
Qatar Airways also resumed a three times a week service to Kigali / Rwanda but has left out Entebbe / Uganda, which in pre-pandemic days saw as many as 10 flights a week before the international airport was closed on the 22nd of March.
The Ugandan government has since refused to announce a date for the reopening of Entebbe International Airport while in contrast now the entire Eastern Africa region is open again with notably Addis Ababa never halting operations at Bole International Airport.
